Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Review

Hannah’s Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Review

Original review written October 21, 2019

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

A cabernet steeped oak corkscrew sitting at the bottom of a bottle is just exciting. The cab is all over the nose, but the whiskey makes its balanced debut on the palate. Very pleased! Read my Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Review here! 90/100

VITALS:
Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Review

– Made in: Texas, USA
– Distiller: sourced (curated from notable distilleries across U.S., mainly MGP)*
– Classification: Small Batch finished bourbon whiskey
– Age: 2 yrs. in new oak barrels
– Mash Bill: Corn=60%; Rye=36%; Barley=4%*
– Casks: char undisclosed (spire char: medium toast*)
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 45% (90 proof)
– Batch #0002; Bottle #0624
– Availability: TX, OK, LA, CO, KY, MI, TN
– Price: $60.00 USD in Idaho
– Infusion: 5 inch long spiral cut piece of French oak. Spire rest in Marker Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon for 4-8 weeks before placed in the bottle*

*To learn more visit Oak & Eden website oakandeden.com

DISCLOSURE:

This bottle was kindly gifted to our Dawson household for reviewing purposes by Oak & Eden. While my father and I very gratefully and happily accept this bottle into the collection, the reviews and opinions of this spirit are honest and unbiased.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this whiskey here!

SETTING:

Enjoyable at any time/place, this spirit likely shines that much more under the twinkling lights ornamenting a Christmas tree on Christmas day. The feast is being prepared and joyous warmth and love make the comfort of home potent and peaceful.

Photo by Євгенія Височина on Unsplash

NOSE:

The first several inhales bring about a very soft, velvety texture to the nose. The classic whiskey burn is not present, likely due to the cab’s disembodied present. The rich depth of a red wine, however, still manages to create a warming sensation on the nose that leaves me going back for more of that dark powerhouse of a grape. Never before have tannins been so apparent in a whiskey before.

Little spice is there (cloves?) which is somewhat surprising to me given the high rye content. This smells old, but in a “wizened-with-age” kind of way. VERY pleasant.

The oak is very present and in just the right capacity to marry together dark fruit whiskey flavors and chocolate to the regal cab grape.

Photo taken by Whiskey For the Ages

PALATE:

-Mouth Feel: Silk, velvet… any adjective for soft is applicable. Wine-like.
– Balance: Very balanced; all flavors are in just the right dose.
– Visual: A dark brown sherry color, there is a CLINGING crown with fat droplets that turn to clinging legs far beneath the crown.

– Taste: This spirit is just as soft as soft can be, especially in the mouth feel, but even the alcohol burn is gentle and dare I say, a bit snuggle. Dark fruits, such as the heavy wine graph, warm huckleberry and overripe plum just bloom.

The longer wait between sips transforms those fruits further into an explosive purple firework with pops of rich cloves to play off of.

A Kentucky chew reminds me further that this IS whiskey, but there is a brown sugar or gingerbread cookie element that accompanies an unaggressive black pepper heat. There also seems to be a twinge of salt that’s binded to another flavor I can’t quite put my finger on, but it so nicely puts a bow on the rest of the flavor package that I’m okay with a little unsolved mystery for once.

The oak is soft, again, just a lovely platform for the other flavors to spring from.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: The finish is not incredibly long, but the warmth sticks around just at the back of the throat. Otherwise, it’s relatively short.

– No More: The last sips are very reminiscent of the mouth feel of a wine, particularly a cabernet. The taste stays constant throughout the glass, and I’m not complaining.

The empty Glencairn smells of spicy oak, contrary to my initial guess of a round, wine cork-esque oak. Still enjoyable, but I’m a little sad at the loss of the full oak I was expecting.

WORTH THE PRICE?

Yes

RATING: 90/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

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Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Whiskey Review

Brian’s Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Whiskey Review:

written on 20-October-2019

OAK & EDEN BOURBON & VINE CABERNET STEEPED WHISKEY REVIEW:

With great anticipation I opened this bottle of Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped (O&EB&V) whiskey. The reward: a beautifully dark brown juice with loads of Cabernet wine tannins, and a low dose of alcohol with lots of smoke on the nose, all of which pass along nicely to the palate. The bourbon and wine which make up this whiskey are well balanced and finish long and warm. Read on for my complete analysis.

OAK & EDEN BOURBON & VINE CABERNET STEEPED WHISKEY VITAL STATS:
Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Whiskey Review

– Distiller: sourced (curated from notable distilleries across America namely MGP.)
– Region: Texas, USA Producer: Sanctified Spirits (Oak and Eden)
– Distributor: Republic National Distributing Company
– Category: Small Batch Finished Whiskey
– Mash Bill: Corn 60%; Rye 36%; and Malted Barley 4%*
– Bourbon Barrel Char: undisclosed
– Spire Char: Fire and heat are used to toast the spire, extracting botanicals and additional flavor expressions.*
– Infusion: At bottling, a 5 inch long spiral cut piece of French Oak is added. The “Spire” rested in Marker Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon for 4-8 weeks before placement in the bottles, finishing the whiskey.*
– Age: 2 Years in New Oak Barrels*
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– Batch: 0002; BOTTLE: 0624
– ABV: 45% (90 Proof)
– Bottle Size: 750ml
– Price: $60.00 USD in Idaho
– Limited Availability: This whiskey is currently sold in CO, KY, LA, MI, OK, TN, and TX at this time.

*See < www.oakandeden.com > for more information.

DISCLOSURE:

This bottle of Oak & Eden Bourbon & Vine Cabernet Steeped Whiskey was generously gifted to me by the producer for the purposes of this review. The donation did not influence my opinion, tasting notes and/or views offered below.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I shared the juice neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

When the Glencairn is brought to the nose, O&EB&V offers plenty of Cabernet wine tannins and only a faint amount of alcohol; just enough to let you know it’s there. Prolonged nosing brings on a dark fruit leather essence, dusty cloves and bitter dark chocolate. There’s also a strong seasoned wood forward aroma which mixes nicely with damp dirt, musty old leather and smokey barrel char … and it works!

PALATE:

The aromas detected on the nose flow nicely into the mouth as O&EB&V drinks like a well aged Cabernet: soft and warm with plenty of deep red wine fruit. On the tongue, bourbon tickles with elements of dusty grain, clove and black pepper. Careful sipping can coax subtle graham crackers and an ever-so-faint dark molasses infused gingerbread. The high concentration of rye makes itself known only after a good mouth swish and chew. Thus enhanced, an earthy smokiness closes in a haze of seasoned barrel char, wet dirt and stirred campfire ashes.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
With a color of brown sherry, the mix of bourbon and wine are well balanced, making for a soft, smooth and pleasantly mellow mouthfeel. In the Glencairn, a veil of thick liquid hangs then droplets suddenly break into toothpick-thin legs which plunge back into the reservoir.

FINISH:

The finish of O&EB&V is lingering and warm. As the dram is downed, Cabernet tannins give way to those of the more earthy Morvedre grape. After each sip is gone the rye peeks in to play. When emptied, the Glencairn gives up its brown sugar and a slightly acrid, but not unpleasant sweet smokiness.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this score.

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